Andrew Berry doesn’t normally show much frustration in his visits with the media. He’s a pensive interview subject, someone who plans his words carefully and deliberately when he answers. The young Browns GM been that way in every interaction since he was hired in January.
So when Berry got a little perturbed at (yet another) question about wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and his future with the Browns, it carried extra emphasis. Berry is clearly tired of the media’s obsession with creating tension where none exists.
“I feel like this is a question I’ve literally addressed every week since I took the job,” Berry said when asked about Beckham’s future in Cleveland. “So really at this point in time, I really don’t see a difference. I feel like I’ve answered this question enough. I can’t control what the outside noise says.”
He did scale it back a bit and gave a more thoughtful, on-brand answer.
“Odell is one of the best receivers in the NFL,” Berry said in his Zoom session with reporters during the bye week. “He played really good football for us before he was injured. He’s done a fantastic job with his teammates at practice. He’s embraced the organization. He’s under contract for multiple years. So our focus with Odell is making sure he recovers from the ACL tear. We want him to be healthy and ready to go next year. But we’re pleased with him.”
Beckham is under contract through the 2023 season and will earn at least $15 million in each year of the deal. In 23 games with the Browns, Beckham has caught 97 passes for 1,354 yards and seven TDs. That’s well below his production rate during his healthy seasons with the New York Giants, but neither the Browns nor Beckham himself seems too concerned about that.
